Although not entirely accurate, the Miami Heat are the team most associated with beginning the era of the superteams, when they brought together LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in South Beach, forming the Big 3.
Now, LeBron James is part of another superteam, this time on the Los Angeles Lakers. On the same day as the 2021 NBA Draft, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of the Athletic reported that the Los Angeles Lakers would be trading for the triple double king, Russell Westbrook, forming a new Big Trio with James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers join the Brooklyn Nets as the only team with three legitimate superstars on their team. Both teams already have the best odds to win the NBA championship next year.
Both teams will be very difficult to beat, especially in a seven-game series. Can the Miami Heat compete with the talent positioned against them, without forming a superteam of their own?
The answer is yes, but it will be very difficult. It will require Miami to play at their absolute best and perhaps also have a little bit of luck on their side.
Can Miami Heat Win Without A Superteam – Facing Brooklyn Nets?
If the Heat are outmatched by the talent of NBA superteams, then they will have to outwork them. If Miami plays to their strengths and attacks their opponent’s weaknesses, then they will have a chance to win.
Let’s look at each of these superteams individually to see how Miami could challenge them. Starting with the Brooklyn Nets, the trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving is one of the greatest offensive trios in NBA history.
All three players can create their own shot and score with efficiency from all areas on the floor. However, one thing this team lacks is something that the Miami Heat excels at: defense.
Although they improved slightly, there was a point last season in which the Nets had the worst defensive rating of all time. The Miami Heat have the right pieces to take advantage of this.
If Jimmy Butler plays with the aggression he is capable of, he will be able to attack the basket with little to no resistance. This would open up the floor for his teammates.
Someone such as Bam Adebayo should have an easier time scoring inside, especially with Brooklyn’s small ball starting five. Miami’s shooters should also feel more comfortable on the floor, which, on some nights, could lift the team to victory if some of the Nets players are having an off night.
It would be irrational to say that the Miami Heat could stop all three stars on the Nets, but if you tried telling that to Jimmy Butler, he would probably laugh at you. Starting with Butler, the Heat have great defenders who are confident that they can limit Brooklyn’s offense, at the very least.
The Miami Heat also have a better coaching staff than the Nets. The Nets are going to be very difficult to beat, but it is possible if the Heat stick to their game plan.
Can Miami Heat Win Without A Superteam – Facing Los Angeles Lakers?
Let’s shift to the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell Westbrook will be superstar playmaker for the Lakers who can provide relief for an aging LeBron.
Russ will also bring a boost of energy to a team that appeared to be lacking it at some points last season. Along with Anthony Davis, this trio can dominate with their athleticism and strength.
Unlike the Nets, the Lakers will be a good team defensively. Last season, the Lakers led the league with the highest team defensive rating in the NBA and with a rating of 106.8 points over 100 possessions, despite Davis and James only playing 36 and 45 games, respectively.
The thing that is scary about this squad is that they already won an NBA championship in 2020 and now they are adding a former MVP and NBA superstar in Russell Westbrook.
As great as the Lakers will be on both ends of the floor, they have some flaws that can be exposed. First, as currently constructed, they would be the worst shooting team in the NBA.
Russell Westbrook shoots below 31 percent from three for his career average. LeBron James was the only player currently on the roster to hit 100 three pointers last year.
As a reminder, he only played 45 games. While the Lakers are expected to add some shooting to their roster this offseason, they would currently be beatable by three pointers alone.
Three point shooting is not the only type of shooting the Lakers will struggle with. Last year, Westbrook shot a career-low 66 percent from the free throw line.
LeBron James shot just below 70 percent from the line. Although these two get to the line more than the average player, look no further than Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ben Simmons last year to see how critical free throws are for late game situations.
Can Miami Heat Win Without A Superteam – On Historical Context
Let’s take a look at some of the superteams from the past decade, specifically analyzing how they lost in the Finals. Starting with the Miami Heat, although us Heat fans prefer to forget that this ever happened, a combination of determination from the Dallas Mavericks and lack thereof from the Heat led to the NBA Finals defeat in 2011.
The Golden State Warriors were plagued with injuries to their stars, with Kevin Durant tearing his achilles and Klay Thompson tearing his ACL. Last year, the Nets also suffered injuries, but as ESPN’s Steven A. Smith points out , there were other causes for their defeat:
"“This kind of stuff ultimately comes back to bite you. That’s what happened to the Brooklyn Nets. That is why they are home right now. If they were together…if they were committed…if they put in that work constantly day in and day out…not just as coaches but as players, you would have been more together, karma wouldn’t have been against you…”"
Health is a major concern for both of these teams, especially the Lakers. If either team is unfortunate enough to suffer injuries again next season, they would be significantly easier to beat.
However, Miami still has to do the work in order to put themselves in a winning position; no victory is ever handed out to a team. Having said that, fingers crossed that everyone stays healthy next year, it would be best for the NBA to see teams face each other at their best.
It will probably take some luck to beat one or both of these superteams, but as history teaches us, it can be done. The Miami Heat have the mentality and the determination to win, but can they deliver against Brooklyn and LA and even when the odds are stacked against them?
Hopefully they can and though it remains to actually be seen, it’ll be so much fun watching and figuring it out.